Francis Godolphin Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin (18 October 1777 – 15 February 1850), styled Lord Francis Osborne from 1789–1832, was a British aristocrat and Whig politician.

Early life

Osborne was born in 1777, the third and youngest child of

Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds, (29 January 1751 – 31 January 1799), styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician. He notably served as Foreign Secretary under William Pitt the Younger from 1783 to 1791. ...

and his first wife, Amelia d'Arcy, Baroness Conyers, daughter of

Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, (17 May 1718 – 16 May 1778), known before 1721 as Lord Darcy and Conyers, was a British diplomat and politician. Career In 1741 he collaborated with G.F. Handel in the production of Deidamia. From ...

. His parents were both peers in their own right. His grandmother was Lady Mary Godolphin, daughter of the 2nd Earl of Godolphin, who had married his grandfather the 4th Duke of Leeds. His elder siblings were

George Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds George William Frederick Osborne, 6th Duke of Leeds, (21 July 1775 – 10 July 1838), styled Earl of Danby until 1789 and Marquess of Carmarthen from 1789 to 1799, was a British peer and politician. He served as Master of the Horse betwee ...

and

Mary Pelham, Countess of Chichester Mary Pelham, Countess of Chichester (7 September 1776 – 21 October 1862), formerly Lady Mary Henrietta Juliana Osborne, was the wife of Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester. She was born in Grosvenor Square, London, the daughter of Fra ...

. Shortly after his first birthday, his mother ran off with her lover Captain John "Mad Jack" Byron. His father was granted a divorce in 1779. His mother quickly married Byron and had three children with him before she died in 1784. Mad Jack remarried and by his second wife was the father of the poet

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

. He was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. He succeeded his cousin

Francis Godolphin, 2nd Baron Godolphin Francis Godolphin, 2nd Baron Godolphin (2 November 1706 – 25 May 1785) was a British politician and peer. Life and career He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Godolphin, provost of Eton and Dean of St Paul's, and was educated at Eton Col ...

in his estates at

Farnham Royal Farnham Royal is a village and civil parish within Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, immediately north of Slough (with which it is contiguous), and around 22 miles west of Charing Cross, Central London. Within the parish ...

Stoke Poges Stoke Poges () is a village and civil parish in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is centred north-north-east of Slough, its post town, and is southeast of Farnham Common. In 2021, it had a population of 5,067. Geography Hamlets withi ...

, and Upton cum Chalvey,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

; and Gog Magog, near Stapleford,

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

Career

Osborne sat as Member of Parliament for

Helston Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: ...

between 1799 and 1802, for

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

between 1802 and 1806, and for

between 1810 and 1831. On 14 May 1832, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Godolphin, of

, County of Buckingham. He was commissioned as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

Cambridgeshire Militia The Cambridgeshire Militia was an auxiliary military regiment in the English county of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. From their formal organisation as Trained bands, Trained Bands and their service during the Spanish Armada, Armada Crisis ...

on 15 January 1831.Arthur Sleigh, ''The Royal Militia and Yeomanry Cavalry Army List'', April 1850, London: British Army Despatch Press, 1850/Uckfield: Naval and Military Press, 1991, ISBN 978-1-84342-410-9. From 1836 until his death, he was High Steward of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Marriage and issue

Lord Godolphin married the Hon. Elizabeth Charlotte Eden (21 March 1780 – 17 April 1847), third daughter of

William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, Privy Council of Ireland, PC (Ire), Royal Society, FRS (3 April 174528 May 1814) was a British diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons, House of Commons from 1774 to 1793. Early life A m ...

, on 31 March 1800. They had five surviving children: * Francis Godolphin (26 May 1801 – 2 February 1802), died in infancy * The Hon. George Godolphin Osborne (1802–1872), succeeded as 2nd Baron Godolphin in 1850 and as 8th Duke of Leeds in 1859 * The Hon. William Godolphin Osborne (29 March 1804 – 28 December 1888). William traveled in 1836 to India with his cousins

George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland, (25 August 1784 – 1 January 1849) was an English people, English Whig (British political faction), Whig politician and colonial administrator. He was thrice First Lord of the Admiralty and also served a ...

, later Governor General of India;

Emily Eden Emily Eden (3 March 1797 – 5 August 1869) was an English poet and novelist who gave witty accounts of life in the 19th century. She wrote a celebrated account of her travels in India, and two novels that sold well. She was also an accomplishe ...

, the travel writer; and Fanny Eden. While there, William wrote and illustrated his 1840 travel narrative ''The Camp and Court of Runjeet Sing: With an Introductory Sketch of the Origin and Rise of the Sikh State''. Married firstly in 1843 Hon. Caroline Montague, daughter of

Matthew Montagu, 4th Baron Rokeby Matthew Montagu, 4th Baron Rokeby (23 November 1762 – 1 September 1831), FRS, known as Matthew Robinson until 1776, was a British Member of Parliament, and briefly a baronet and Peer of the Realm. Early life Montagu was born Matthew Robinso ...

. Married secondly in 1870 Hon. Georgiana Henrietta Villiers-Elphinstone, daughter of Admiral

George Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith Admiral George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith (7 January 1746 – 10 March 1823) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Career Early service George Elphinstone was the fourth ...

. * The Hon. Rev.

Sydney Godolphin Osborne Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne (5 February 1808 – 9 May 1889) was an English cleric, philanthropist and writer. Life The third son of Francis Osborne, 1st Baron Godolphin, by Elizabeth Charlotte Eden, daughter of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckla ...

(1808–1889), married in 1834 Emily the sister of

Pascoe Grenfell Pascoe Grenfell (3 September 1761 – 23 January 1838) was a British businessman and politician. Biography He was born at Marazion, in Cornwall. His father, Pascoe Grenfell (1729–1810), and uncle were merchants in the tin and copper business ...

. grandfather of the 12th (and last) Duke of Leeds. * The Hon. D'Arcy Godolphin Osborne (20 October 1814 – 12 May 1846), married in 1845 Anne Catherine, daughter of Rev. William Douglas * The Hon. Charlotte Godolphin Osborne (4 August 1805 – 4 December 1838); married in 1829

Sir Theodore Brinckman, 1st Baronet Sir Theodore Henry Lavington Brinckman, 1st Baronet (17 January 1798 – 9 February 1880) was a British politician and baronet. Born Theodore Broadhead, he was the son of Theodore Henry Broadhead and his wife Elizabeth Macdougall, daughter of Wi ...

After a period of declining health, Lord Godolphin's died in 1850 at his home at Gog Magog House, Cambridgeshire. His title of Baron Godolphin passed to his eldest son, George, who became the 2nd Baron Godolphin. George later inherited the Dukedom of Leeds from his cousin 7th Duke in 1859. The 8th Duke's surviving siblings, William and Sydney, were granted the rank of a younger son of a duke, becoming Lord William Osborne and Lord Sydney Osborne, respectively, in honour of their father, who would have inherited the

duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

dom had he not died in 1850.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godolphin, Francis Osborne, 1st Baron 1777 births 1850 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Osborne, Francis Cambridgeshire Militia officers Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

Peers of the United Kingdom created by William IV Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Osborne, Francis Younger sons of dukes